Bend and Not Break
by Mithlin Megil
Summary: Falling in love in a series of steps - or more like falling down several flights of stairs. Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Hinata, during the High School years, where everything was bigger than life and oh-so dramatic.
1. Learning to breathe

**Disclaimer:** The author does not own the animation series Naruto, and is merely borrowing for use in entertainment.

* * *

_  
**Bend and Not Break Chapter One:**_ Learning to Breathe

_Hello, good morning, how you do?  
What makes your rising sun so new?  
I could use a fresh beginning too  
All of my regrets are nothing new  
So this is the way that I say I need You  
This is the way  
This is the way that  
(Learning to Breathe, Switchfoot)_

* * *

There are times that he hates school.

"Kya! Sasuke-kun!"  
"Oooh, it's the Prince!"  
"Out of my way, girls, Sasuke-kun wants to see me!"  
"Ha, as if, Forehead girl!"  
"What did you say, Ino-pig?!"

With an irritated sigh, 15 year-old Uchiha Sasuke extracted himself from the mob and slipped away, unnoticed, to his classroom. It was always like this every day, every morning. He stepped into the school grounds – just one step – and he was immediately swamped by girls. Really, it was getting old. Tomorrow, the dark-haired teen resolved, he'd go to school earlier. At least that way, he could get to his class in peace.

"Yo, Sasuke-bastard! Girls bother you 'gain?" A boisterous blond bounded up to him, grinning. "You're a bit early today though. Slipped away early?"

A grunt was his only answer, and Uzumaki Naruto laughed. "Keh, Sasuke, I don't know why you hate 'em so much - the girls, I mean. Most of us would _kill_ to have at least one homemade lunch by a girl, and here you are, hating your own fanclub."

"Hn."

"I could do without the morning chase, though." Naruto continued, thoughtfully scratching his chin. "I mean, I get into enough trouble with Principal Tsunade, so I could definitely do without the being late for school because of girls part!"

"Naruto."

"I like the lunches, though. Maybe when I get a fanclub, I could say that I'd like to have ramen everyday!" A manic giggle. "Yeah, ramen!"

"Naruto."

"I like ramen! Maybe I should get some before I go-"

"Naruto!"

Innocent blue eyes blinked at him. "Yeah?"

"Shut up, you're making my head ache!" Sasuke growled as he hooked his bag to the side of his table, sitting down. "It's too early for your idiocy, dead last."

The blond merely flashed a grin at him, not at all frightened by his glare.

_Yes, sometimes,_ Sasuke reflected, _I can really hate school._

- - -

Sasuke bent and stretched, clad in his PE uniform. Today they had to go run laps around the school oval – which, of course, meant that their gym teacher for today was Gai. _Pfft, what's with all the "burning youth" that idiotic teacher spouts? Any why do we have to run?_ the teen thought sourly to himself. _Never mind that it's in the middle of summer and it's actually too hot to run._

It's a good thing he liked running. Well, just not the sweat.

"Ready, set, _go!_" Gai blew his whistle and pumped his fist into the air. "Go, my youthful students! Burning!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but started to run anyway.

As usual, Naruto shot forward like a rocket, Kiba not far behind. And as usual, the two started lagging behind as soon as they lost their energy, having forgotten to pace themselves – leaving him in the lead. Sasuke snorted under his breath. _Stupid idiots – they never learn. As usual._

He slid his eyes to the girl running next to him. As usual, the same girl ran next to him, matching him step by step. Hyuuga Hinata – a delicate looking girl, with pale eyes and long, blue-black hair held back by a ponytail. She wore glasses that did nothing to hide her eyes, and spoke only when spoken to. At least, that's what most of their classmates said.

Sasuke didn't know what to think – after all, he'd never spoken to her. Even if she did sit in front of him, and was kind enough to offer her spare pencil silently when his own ran out of lead. He frowned, suddenly noting her pale face, and the sweat beading on top of her lips.

"Hyuuga. Are you alright?"

Startled pale eyes flew to him. Sasuke noted with slight alarm that they were slightly glazed underneath the think lens. He ran a bit closer to the girl. "Oi. Hyuuga. Are you alri – "

"Y-yes,U-uchiha-san." The girl interrupted, blinking and diverting her gaze. She stumbled and righted herself quickly. "I-I'm f-fine."

Of course, right after saying that she was fine, the girl stumbled again, and would've fallen if Sasuke wasn't quick enough to catch her. The moment he touched her, the teen almost reeled back in shock. She was burning up! Foolish girl, why run when she was obviously running a fever? Shaking his head, Sasuke hefted the girl up his back, putting her on piggy-back despite her weak protests.

"Oi, Sasuke – what's wrong with Hina-chan?" Naruto's panicked voice interrupted his musings, and he turned to see his classmate stopping right next to him. He laid a hand on the girl's forehead, and bit off a curse. "Hina-chan, you're burning up! Didn't we tell you not to go to school yet?"

Silence was his only answer, Hinata having fainted on Sasuke's back, feverish breaths feathering his neck.

Sasuke shifted to have a better grip on the unconscious girl. "I'll bring Hyuuga to the clinic. You tell Gai-sensei what happened."

"Right." Naruto turned to go, and then wheeled back. "Oi, Sasuke-bastard – where's her glasses?"

Crunch.

Almost slowly, Sasuke raised his foot to see aforementioned glasses, now scrunched on the ground. The two boys stared at the twisted mess of metal and glass.

"…shit."

- - -

Hyuuga Hinata slowly opened her eyes, vision blurry. She rubbed at her eyes, dislodging a wet towel from her forehead. She dropped her hand in surprise. The last thing she remembered was running – and Uchiha Sasuke's voice asking if she was alright. She blinked slowly – she must have fainted. She really should have listened to her cousin and stayed at home.

"You're awake," came a male voice, and Hinata turned her head to see someone sitting on a chair next to her bed. While she can't see the face – her eyesight was shot when she didn't have her glasses – she knew instinctively that it was Uchiha Sasuke. At least, nobody in their class had that rich, dark voice. He moved to stand up, and replaced the towel back into her forehead before he turned to go. "I'll get Shizune-sensei."

He took a few steps, and then turned back. "Oh, I forgot – you can't really see much without your glasses, can't you. It's Uchiha Sasuke."

He left before Hinata could say, "I know."

She closed her eyes. It was a few minutes later when the sounds of footsteps roused her, the silence of the clinic having put her into a light sleep. The girl opened her eyes and tried to discern the tall, white blob in front of her – Uchiha Sasuke-san, she deduced. "Uchiha-san?"

"Hn." Wood creaked as the teen settled himself back on the chair, crossing his arms. "Shizune-sensei's out. I'll be watching you for the meantime."

"B-but our classes…"

"Don't worry about it." Sasuke looked out of the window. "Dead last would've told Iruka-sensei about what happened, so we're excused."

"O-oh."

Silence descended. Sasuke didn't really mind. After all, when someone had a fanclub full of shrieking girls and an annoying Uzumaki Naruto as a best friend (at this he grimaced – but well, there's nothing that could or would stop that idiot when he got his mind into something), you'd tend to treasure silent moments like this.

"Oi, Sasuke! Psst!"

Sighing, Sasuke looked up to see said idiot brandishing a leather bag – probably Hyuuga's, he deduced. "Quiet, before you wake her up," he ordered as he stood to take the bag. He arched a sardonic eyebrow. "Did you tell Iruka-sensei?"

"Yeah, yeah." Naruto peered over his shoulder, taking in the sleeping classmate. "How's Hina-chan?"

_Hina-chan, is it?_ Shrugging, Sasuke sat back again. "Fever's down. She's resting."

Naruto shook his head as he tugged the sheet properly over Hinata. "Typical Hina-chan, to overwork herself like this. You really shouldn't have gone to school," he scolded the sleeping girl lightly. "…but then again, I guess you can't help it. It's not as if your father would let you take a day-off, anyway. Tch, insensitive bastard."

Sasuke's brows shot up at the spite threaded through the blond's usually light tone. "You know her that well?"

"She used to be my neighbor, so yeah, I guess you can say we grew up together," Naruto replied as he fiddled with the wet cloth over the girl's forehead. "Her schedule's really hectic. Not only does she go to school, but she has to take martial arts classes after that. And well, Hina-chan's also part of the gymnastic club and Calligraphy & Tea club here, plus the cram school… Her father's really hard on her."

"Hn."

"Ah well Sasuke-bastard, Iruka-sensei says you can go back to class when Shizune-sensei's here." Naruto straightened. He pouted. "I volunteered to stay here, but Iruka-sensei said I had to stay for Math. Ugh."

"Math's your worst subject, dead last. It's only natural that Iruka-sensei doesn't want you to miss it," Sasuke muttered absently. He looked up to see Naruto lingering by the door. "Well?"

"Just… just you know, take care of Hina-chan." The blond shuddered. "It's a good thing _he_ isn't here yet."

_He?_ Sasuke merely frowned. "Go, dead last."

"Yeah, yeah, going."

- - -

Hinata opened her eyes, and for the third time, stared straight unto the clinic's familiar white ceiling. The burning sensation she felt earlier was gone, as well as the punishing headache she had. _Maybe I shouldn't have overdone it with training_, the girl bit her lip._ But Father wouldn't like it…_

"Oh, you're awake!" Shizune's voice broke her musings, and the girl jerked, startled. The nurse laughed as she bent to take the now dry cloth off Hinata's forehead. "Sorry for surprising you, Hyuuga-san. Looks like your fever's gone – you probably only needed rest."

Hinata's mouth opened, and closed in confusion. She blinked, vision still shot as she looked around the room. "Uhm… Where's Uchiha-san?"

"Oh, that boy?" Shizune helped the girl sit up. "He left when I arrived."

"O-oh." Hinata paused, and then continued shyly. "U-uhm... Can you please tell me where my glasses are? I-I can't s-see much without them…"

"Sorry, Hyuuga-san. Apparently they fell off when you fainted," Shizune replied apologetically. "We'll have to call your parents to come and pick you up."

"N-no!" Hinata panicked, and scrambled to stop the nurse. "I-I have a s-spare, in my bag. So please, don't call Chichue. I-I can go home alright."

Shizune blinked. "Well, if you say so. Here you go," she said, holding out the leather bag

With a sigh of relief, the girl took the bag and rooted through it, finding her spare glasses and putting them on. Her vision immediately cleared, and it was then that the girl spied the time on her watch. Hinata gave a surprised cry. "Oh no, the aprons! I forgot to give one to Uchiha-san! And it's almost 5 in the afternoon!"

Almost leaping off the bed, the girl shoved her bag closed and hurried towards the door, intending to catch her classmate before he left school. Before she reached the door though, Hinata turned around, and bowed to the amused nurse. "Uhm, thank you for taking care of me, Shizune-sensei."

"It's no trouble. Go before Uchiha leaves school, I heard the club activities end early today."

With a nod, the girl rushed out of the room, as though she never fainted in the first place.

Shizune shook her head, smiling. "I hope she realizes that she's still in her gym clothes…"

- - -

"Uchiha-san! Wait up!" a lilting voice stopped Sasuke in his tracks, when he was about to reach the school gates. He turned to see Hinata running towards him, her leather bag in one hand, a swath of black cloth in the other. Blue-black locks danced around a pale, oval face slightly tinted pink in exertion. The picture she made had some of the male students stop and stare in appreciation as she ran past them.

"Hyuuga." Sasuke nodded in greeting when she reached him. The girl merely gave him a small smile, intent on catching her breath. He frowned, moving to tug her bag away. "You shouldn't be running around like that, idiot. I don't want to carry you back to the clinic again."

"I-I'm sorry," the girl gasped, hands on her knees as she gulped in air. "I-I wanted to catch you before you left school, you see."

Heaving an inaudible sigh, the teen took the girls elbow and steered her towards a nearby bench, making her sit down. Sasuke himself leaned back against the bench, linking his hands behind his head as he stared up into the gently swaying leaves of the tree. After a while, he spoke. "Well?"

"Uhm, yes." Hinata gulped and pushed her fingers together. "Thank you for bringing me to the clinic earlier. Naruto-kun told me that I f-fainted and you carried me to the clinic, so…"

"Like I said, don't worry about it."

"Oh, and – here." The girl shoved the swath of folded black cloth in Sasuke's general direction, unable to look at him."I-I forgot to give it to you, during class."

Gingerly, Sasuke took the cloth and shook it out, studying it. "…An apron?"

"Uhm, yes. It's for the school festival on the day after tomorrow."Hinata opened her book bag and rooted through it, voice muffled as she searched for the paperbag she stowed inside earlier. "We're going to have a coffee shop, if Uchiha-san would remember. Naruto-kun volunteered you as one of the waiter the other day, and most of our classmates agreed. Didn't Naruto-kun tell you?"

Sasuke shook his head, warily studying the apron as though it would grow fangs. "No. Dead last didn't tell me."

"O-oh." Biting her lip, Hinata looked down at her lap and timidly offered, "If Uchiha-san didn't know about it, t-then it's okay if you don't p-participate."

"Naruto is doing it as well, right?"

"Uhm, yes."

"Then I'll do it." Folding the apron haphazardly, the teen stood up. "That's all I'm going to do, right?"

Hinata visibly brightened, smiling at the Uchiha. "Yes, Uchiha-san, all you have to do is wait on customers and take their orders." Standing, the girl took the apron and folded it neatly, tucking it into the paperbag. "Please try the apron at home and see if it fits. If it doesn't, then please give it back to me so that I-I can make the necessary adjustments."

"Sure." Amusement flickered through Sasuke's black eyes as he took the bag from the girl. "That's the most I've ever heard you speak, Hyuuga."

Hinata promptly flushed. "Uhm…"

"Never mind." He paused. "Anything else?"

"O-oh, no, that's all, Uchiha-san." Taking a deep breath, the girl bowed, glossy black hair spilling forward as she did so. "T-thank you, and see you tomorrow."

Sasuke nodded in farewell. "Ja."

And with that the girl jogged away, free hand coming up to wave at a waiting figure standing a few yards from them. Linking hands with the male, the two walked towards a black car, climbed in and drove off. It was only then that Sasuke moved from his place, leaving school.


	2. Get yourself together

**Disclaimer:** The author does not own the animation series Naruto, and is merely borrowing for use in entertainment.

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**Chapter II: **Get yourself Together

_Here again, I know it's coming  
That same old feeling  
Those days when you feel like a child again  
Leave behind all your worries  
The blue sky is over my head  
Will get you out of bed  
(Get yourself together, tahiti80)_

* * *

The next morning, Sasuke went to school early, paper bag in hand. He was just about to settle down on his chair when he heard the classroom door slide open and he looked up in surprise. The teen didn't think that anyone else would be here earlier than he was.

Hinata blinked back at him, carrying a vase full of purple lilacs. "G-good morning, Uchiha-san."

"Good morning," Sasuke replied after a moment. "You're here early, Hyuuga."

"My cousin has early morning practice," the girl explained, setting the flowers down on their teacher's desk. "And I have early morning duties, as well. How about you, Uchiha-san?"

"No annoying fangirls," was the quick answer. "That way I don't have to wrestle my way to school."

Hinata smothered a laugh, although her lips twitched. "Neji-niisan said the same things as well. It must be hard having a fan club."

"Hn."

The two sat in relative silence, until their classmates started to pour in. They filled the silence with chatter and laughter, until Sasuke couldn't decide whether to be grateful for the noise, or be annoyed that the silence had passed.

The teen snorted at his thoughts, and turned his attention to the window. _Whatever._

-

Lunch came. Naruto bounded over, a swatch of familiar black cloth slung over his arms, and it was then that Sasuke remembered. "Hyuuga."

"Hmn? Uchiha-san?" Hinata looked over her shoulder, busily clearing her desk. "What is it?"

"The apron. It's too long." He held up the paper-bag. "The ties, as well."

"I can fix that for you, Sasuke-kun!" Haruno Sakura chimed as she ran over, thrusting a furoshiki-covered bento to him as well. "Here, an especially-cooked lunch for you! You can eat while I'm fixing your apron, ne?"

Sasuke stared at her, not even moving to take the aforementioned lunch. "Sakura, I still remember the shirt that you 'fixed' during Home Economics class. It was missing a sleeve when you passed it – and you only had to replace a button, at that."

"Oh. Um. That." Sakura faintly colored, but recovered quickly. "But I've improved, Sasuke-kun! That was ages ago!"

Sasuke sighed as he ran a frustrated hand over tousled hair. "Sakura – that was just last week. Besides, Hyuuga was the one who made the aprons – isn't it only logical that she be the one to repair mine?"

"But Sasuke-kun…!"

Losing his patience (which was never really long to begin with), Sasuke growled and grabbed Hinata's hand, storming off. The girl had no choice but to grab her sewing kit & basket lunch as they passed by her desk, almost tripping over at her feet as she tried to keep up with Sasuke's rapid pace. As they left the room, Hinata could faintly hear Naruto offering to have his apron fixed by Sakura – and the girl's not-too-pleasant reply of 'Get away from me, you freak!' to the blond.

Hinata bit her lip. Inwardly, she wondered if everyone had the capacity to be unintentionally cruel, even just by mere words. Uncomfortably, the girl wondered if she could be that cruel, as well.

-

Up on the roof, Hinata smoothed her skirt as she sat down, folding her legs primly to one side. Next to her, Sasuke slumped, linking fingers behind his head as he stared up to the sky. Opening her sewing kit, the girl snuck a glance at the Uchiha and promptly stifled a giggle.

Sasuke turned his head and arched an eyebrow. "See something funny, Hyuuga?"

"Sorry, Uchiha-san," Hinata apologized, although her eyes danced merrily under the thick lens. She reached for the apron and unfurled it as she continued. "It's just that your position reminded me of Nara-san that I almost expect you to say 'How troublesome'."

"Hn" was the teen's only reply as he settled back into his original position; his eyes drifting shut.

"Oh, and Uchiha-san?"

"…Yeah?"

"I need you to wear the apron, that way I'll know where to cut."

With an inward groan –_he was just about to fall asleep _– Sasuke took the proffered apron and stood up, tying it on. A cold hand touched his and he looked down in surprise, just in time to see Hinata kneel and hand him one end of the tape measure, biting her lip in concentration. Amusement flickered in his eyes _– who knew the Hyuuga could be this businesslike? –_ he stood still as Hinata took note of where she should cut.

A while later, they were back to their former positions: Sasuke staring up to the sky, Hinata humming tunelessly as she cut the cloth and started to sew. Strangely content, Sasuke closed his eyes, intending to sleep, when suddenly his stomach growled, startling him. His brows slammed together in annoyance – he had left his lunch in the classroom, and there was no way he was going back down to get it.

"Would Uchiha-san like to share my lunch?" Sasuke turned to see the girl opening her basket lunch, apron having been put aside for the moment. "I always make too much, so…"

He was just about to refuse when he saw the contents of the lunch: octopus-shaped wieners, a humongous sliced eggroll, salmon sushi and…sliced tomatoes. Sasuke sighed. He could never resist tomatoes.

"U-Uchiha-san?" Hinata nervously offered him a spare set of chopsticks. "I-It's really no trouble. I'm not tha-t hungry, and I won't be able to finish this all by myself…"

With a resigned grunt, Sasuke accepted the chopsticks, watching as the girl deftly divided the portions of the eggroll between the two of them, used the cover of the bento as a makeshift plate and began to eat. It was only then that the teen started to eat as well. The two ate in silence; Hinata leaving the tomato slices to Sasuke when she noticed that he liked them, Sasuke leaving the octopus hotdogs to the girl in return. They had just finished and were drinking the cold tea that Hinata brought when the rooftop door opened with a bang, startling the two.

"Oi, Sasuke-bastard!"

Said student stamped down the desire to groan. "What now, dead-last?"

"We need you down-_ooh, is that lunch?_" Pouting the blond plunked himself on the floor between the two. "Wait – you didn't leave any for me? Uwah, Sasuke, you're so mean! Hina-chan makes the best lunches ever!"

Sasuke arched an eyebrow, surprised at the statement – which would mean that the blond had eaten Hinata's cooking before. Strangely enough, he felt a twinge of annoyance at that realization. Frowning, Sasuke pushed the feeling away, discomfitted. He wasn't even friends with the girl.

"H-Here you go, Na-Na-Naruto-kun," Hinata's uncharacteristic stuttering drew his attention, and the teen focused just in time to see the girl offering the blond some pieces of onigiri. "I-If you're hu-hungry, you can ha-have thi-this."

Sasuke blinked. _Stuttering? What's the cause of this, now?_ Mentally shrugging, the teen leaned back against the wall, assuming his former position and staring up to the clouds. Faint humming filled his ears and he unconsciously relaxed, knowing that Hinata had resumed sewing.

He shifted, and closed his eyes. Something vaguely resembling contentment flickered through him, but by then, the teen was already falling into the vestiges of slumber, unable to push it away.

-

"Finished!" Hinata's delighted cry roused Sasuke, and he opened one eye blearily to take in the girl beaming at the apron she held before her. He must've made some slight noise, because the girl unexpectedly turned to him, smiling. "Oh, Uchiha-san, you're awake."

"Sasuke," the teen replied groggily, opening his other eye and pushing himself up from his slumped position.

"Uh..?"

Sasuke rubbed at his eyes. "Don't call me Uchiha-san, that's my dad. First name will do." He yawned. "The apron's finished?"

"Oh, yes," Hinata picked up a previously unnoticed apron and gave it to him. The one lying on her lap, she started to fold. "Naruto-kun's, as well. There was a rip in the fabric which I had to repair."

"…I'm not surprised," Sasuke commented dryly as he tucked the apron back into the paper-bag. "Dead last's coordinated when it comes to soccer, but when it comes to everything else, he's clumsy."

A giggle. "That's certainly true."

Sasuke watched absently as Hinata stowed away the scissors, thread and needle into her sewing kit, dusting her hands daintily after. It was only then that he noticed that Naruto was gone. "Where's Naruto?"

"He went on ahead," Hinata answered, taking off her glasses to clean them before putting them back on. She blinked at Sasuke. "That's right – he told me to tell you to go down as soon as you wake up, they need some help with the furniture and signboards for the café, Uchiha-san."

"Sasuke, and you should've just woke me up," Standing up, the teen dusted his pants and held out his hand to Hinata. "We need to get going."

"Naruto-kun said not to wake you up," the girl explained as she gathered her things and took Sasuke's hand to stand up. "And since Sasuke-san looked like he needed his sleep, I did what he asked. Gomen ne, Sasuke-san."

"Never mind, it doesn't matter. Let's go."

With one last look at her surroundings, Hinata turned and left.

-

The day of the festival came. Shouts, laughter, and cheering filled the air as the students participated in the competitions, garnering points for their class. Right after the competitions, students rushed into their respective rooms to prepare for their class presentations – in their case, The Coffee Prince Shop.

"Gah, why do we have to wear this tie, anyway?" Naruto groused as he straightened his vest. All of the 'waiters' where the boys in their class that were voted upon by the girls due to their 'crowd-drawing abilities' – meaning, the boys' looks and personalities. They were all dressed exactly the same – shiny black shoes, black pants, white shirt with a black bow tie and vest. A black apron completed the look.

Naruto squirmed, and jerked his tie. "I feel like it's choking me!"

Sakura slapped Naruto's hand away. "Be still, idiot!" she growled menacingly. "Hinata-chan lost sleep over this, so you better appreciate it!"

In Sakura-speak, that meant: _Complain and you die. Painfully._

"The embroidery is really exquisite," the pink-haired girl remarked to her classmate as she moved to another one of the waiters to straighten his tie. "You really outdid yourself, Hinata-chan!"

Said classmate flushed, biting her lip as she competently fixed one of the skewed tablecloths. "It's really nothing, Sakura-chan. I enjoyed making them, so it wasn't really hard."

Sasuke raised a disbelieving eyebrow. All of the vests, aprons, as well as the tablecloths had a small golden crown embroidered at one corner – not to mention all the table napkins, as well. If this was all Hyuuga's doing, then no wonder she fainted the day before.

"Alright, listen up!" Sakura raised her voice, and all of them turned to the class representative. "As we've discussed before, I'll be the manager for the Coffee Prince. Chouji-san is our head chef, so if any of the customers have any other requests, send them either to me or him right away, understood?"

The rest of the class murmured in assent. Satisfied, Sakura turned to Hinata and frowned. "Now, why aren't you dressed yet, Hinata-chan?"

The petite girl turned pleading eyes to Sakura. "But Sakura-chan…"

"No way, Hinata-chan. You can't get out of it, okay? Don't worry, it'll be fun!" With a determined glint in her eye, Sakura grabbed the girl's hand and proceeded to drag her out of the room. A quick 'Ino-chan, you're in charge for the meantime! We'll open in ten minutes!' was ordered before the two completely left the room.

Everything was a blur after that.

The coffee shop was a complete success – mainly with the girls, as most of the waiters were male. Some of the families of their classmates went as well, to give their support. Sasuke sighed as he rotated the stiffness out of his shoulders. After this experience, Sasuke had new-found respect for those who worked in restaurants – who knew waiting on customers could be so tiring?

"Oi, Sasuke, it's your turn to greet the customers!" With a cackle, Naruto plunked the menu to the brunette and flounced back into the room. Not, however, without a parting shot. "Be nice! And watch out for your fan club – I hear they're in full force today!"

Grumbling under his breath, Sasuke stepped outside – and immediately halted in surprise. Right next to the door stood Hinata – or at least, the teen thought it was the Hyuuga girl. Pale, lavender-tinted eyes were raised at him, and he instantly turned his head away, his hand going up to his nose to stem the trickle of blood he knew was there.

'Too cute' was his first thought.  
'Damn hormones' was his second.

"Uchi-err, Sasuke-san?" came her hesitant voice. "Are you alright?"

Reluctantly, the teen turned back, discreetly wiping the blood before facing her completely. "I'm fine," he returned shortly, a little annoyed at his lack of composure. Last time he checked, he wasn't a pervert – dear God, did that mean his uncle's perverted ways were rubbing off him? He inwardly shuddered at that thought.

Hinata blinked. Sasuke looked decidedly green, and she reached out to tug at his sleeve in concern. Instantly, intense black eyes turned towards her. The girl tried not to flinch and dropped her hand. "Sasuke-san?"

"I'm fine," the teen repeated, raking a hand through his hair. He eyed her outfit. "Why are you dressed like that?"

Hinata flushed faintly. She was dressed in ruffles, lace-up corset and lace, lavender eyes devoid of her usual glasses. A matching white apron was tied around her waist, over a short black skirt edged in white lace – a quintessential maid. Her glossy black hair fell heavily to her waist, taken down from her usual braid, while her legs were encased in white, delicate stockings. On her feet were pristine black doll shoes.

A porcelain doll was perched on her arms, and it was then that the teen noticed that Hinata was built, her figure more developed than girls her age.

With an inward groan, Sasuke stamped down on those thoughts and focused on what his petite classmate was saying.

"Since the Coffee Prince caters mostly for girls, Ino-chan thought of having another shop, this time for boys," Hinata explained, flush still riding high on her cheeks. "She named it The Tea Princess. It's my turn to greet the customers, so…"

Sasuke frowned. "Isn't that too much work?"

"Oh no," the girl hurried to reassure him. "Since the menu is the same as well as the motif – a golden crown – it's not much work. Our room is generally more feminine than yours though. And we sell dolls as well."

_That's not what I meant. _Sasuke sighed, but went along with it anyway. "…Is that so?"

Naruto's head popped around the door. "Oi, Sasuke-bastard, you're supposed to greet customers, not talk to Hina-chan – _Hinata-chan?! Is that you?!"_

Hinata flushed at the blonds' goggle-eyed stare. "N-ne, Na-Na-Naruto-kun, I think S-Sakura-chan's calling fo-for you."

Sure enough, the class representative was calling for him, and in a deceptively sweet tone that had the blond turning an interesting shade of white. Mumbling under his breath, the blond went back inside, shoulders all but screaming misery.

Sasuke merely rolled his eyes and went to work. A moment later, Hinata did as well, smiling shyly at prospective customers and ushering some in.

The teen watched the Hyuuga girl work at the corner of his eye. It was only now that he realized that his petite classmate was actually quite popular in their batch - most of the ones going inside the Tea Princess were acquaintances of hers, if not outright friends. Of course, it couldn't be helped that her customers would be male, as well. Few could resist the charms of a shy, dressed-as-a-maid school girl, especially one that carried a doll. Some upper-class high school students went in as well, lured by her shy smile and polite demeanor.

As expected, not all of the customers were nice, but those that even tried to attempt to do something undesirable to Hinata were quickly cowed by a fierce, black-eyed glare. Courtesy of Uchiha Sasuke, of course.

That act mildly annoyed the teen. Not only did he have to watch out for his fan club, but now he had to look out for any untoward advances towards his unsuspecting classmate as well! Really, how dense could this girl get? He squashed the impulse to growl and grit his teeth in frustration. When the hell did he become the girl's bodyguard, anyway?

Most likely when she fainted on his back, during that damn stupid run.

"I-I'm sorry, but you're not allowed to take pictures," came said girl's apologetic voice. Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts to see Hinata flanked by two male students, one of them carrying a camera. His eyes narrowed.

"C'mon, just one picture!"  
"Yeah, don't be so stingy – look, we'll even go inside your stupid restaurant & eat!"

"It will be my pleasure to escort you inside and give you a table, but I'm afraid taking pictures with me or any other waitresses are not allowed," Hinata answered, voice firm. Sasuke's brows shot up. She apparently _did _ have a backbone after all. "If taking pictures is what you came in for, please leave."

One of the boys laughed nastily. "Oh, our little kitten's feisty!"

"Settle down, little kitten," the other boy remarked, moving as though to place an arm around the girl's shoulder as he spoke. "All we want is your – "

"What's going on here?" Sasuke interrupted, and Hinata took that moment to step away, placing herself closer to the Uchiha boy. The teen's eyes were like black ice as he glared at the two. "Are you two bringing trouble?"

The two shook their heads, intimidated by the teen's fierce glower.

"Leave, then. We don't need idiots like you two as customers."

"Why you – "  
"C'mon, let's leave, it's a stupid restaurant anyway."

Putting up a fake front, the two troublemakers swaggered away. Sasuke watched them until they were out of sight before turning to his classmate who, he noticed with a frown, was slightly trembling. She was also clutching at the doll she held like a lifeline. "Hyuuga. You alright?"

"Yes. Thank you, Uchiha-san. Um. Sasuke-san." The girl corrected herself hastily, sending him a strained smile. "For what happened just now and for the c-countless times earlier."

Sasuke lifted a brow. So she wasn't as dense as he thought, and she _had_ noticed what he had been doing. "Why didn't you do anything? Like, push them away? Students like those are bastards that need to be taught a lesson. Tch, perverts."

Her fingers tightened impossibly on the doll. Sasuke half-expected the delicate porcelain to crack and break, but amazingly, it didn't. She finally sighed, tense shoulders relaxing. "I-I couldn't move. I was afraid that I'll hurt them."

"Hurt them? Wha…?" Sasuke stared incredulously at the girl, and then bumped her forehead lightly with the back of his fist. "Idiot. Like I've said, guys like those are perverts that needs to be taught a lesson. Either by words or by violence, it doesn't matter. It doesn't change the fact that they're bastards."

Hinata looked down, abashed, her pink lips in an almost pout. "I-I know that, but…"

"Hyuuga," Sasuke interrupted with a frustrated sigh, "…you're weird."

"E-Eh?!"

"Oi, Sasuke-bastard, who are you calling weird?" came Naruto's outraged cry. "You're weirder than Hina-chan, that's for sure!"

Sasuke rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Shut up, Naruto, and go back to work."

"I'm on break, so nyaaah!" Naruto stuck out his tongue to Sasuke, and turned to face the girl. "Anyway, Hina-chan, hate to say this, but Sasuke-bastard's right. At least the part where he said that guys like those need a good punch to the face."

"B-But Na-Naruto-kun, I could easily h-hurt them ba-dly!"

"Then they deserve it," Sasuke cut in. "A girl is allowed to defend herself. We're not here by your side all the time. Worry about yourself before you worry about others."

"I know, I know." Hinata whispered, face downcast. "I just don't like hurting people, that's all."

"And that is why I say this again: you're weird." Before Hinata could protest, Sasuke had turned to Naruto. "Dead last, ask Sakura if we could combine the two cafés. It would be better that way, anyway."

Naruto saluted smartly, then went back inside. A minute later, the blond returned, with Sakura (who was dressed in the same attire as the waiters) and Yamanaka Ino (who was dressed the same way as Hinata) in tow. The four went to one corner and discussed Sasuke's suggestion in whispers, with Sakura throwing an apologetic glance at Hinata, and Sasuke throwing an odd glance at the Hyuuga. A minute later, Naruto and Sakura went back inside the Coffee Prince.

Hinata approached Ino and Sasuke apprehensively. "Sasuke-san? Ino-chan?"

"Oh, Hinata-chan!" The tall blonde hugged the confused girl briefly and stepped back, an apologetic glimmer at her blue eyes."I'm sorry you went through that trouble! Don't worry, it won't happen again – Sasuke-kun had this wonderful idea of folding the division wall between the two rooms and merging them together. That way, us waitresses won't get into trouble."

"Oh."

"Anyway, I'm going back to talk to the customers! You and Sasuke-kun will take care of the door, okay?" With a jaunty wave and a swish of her skirts, Ino went back to the Tea Princess.

"That was a wonderful idea, Sasuke-san," Hinata offered a shy smile to the stoic Uchiha. "We should've thought of it earlier."

Sasuke merely sniffed, and plucked the doll out of Hinata's arms. The porcelain doll should've looked out of place in the tennis player's arms, but it fit right in, looking as though it belonged there rightfully.

"Eh?"

"Hold the menu. I'm getting tired of being asked what our specialty is," the teen muttered. "Morons, couldn't they just read?"

Hinata stifled a giggle, but did what he asked, holding the menu against her chest. The two were about to go back to work when Naruto appeared, a mischievous grin on his face. He was also wearing kitty ears. Two headbands dangled carelessly from his fingers.

Sasuke groaned. "Oh hell no."

"Oh hell yes, Sasuke-bastard!" Naruto chimed gleefully as he handed one to Hinata. "Here, hold this, Hina-chan. We're called Wonderland Café now! Oh, wait – slip that on Sasuke's head while I restrain him!"

"What – I refuse, Naruto! Unhand me!"  
"No way, Sasu-ow! That was my nose – stop being suck a prissy, Sasu! C'mon, Hina-chan, put it on his head now!"

Hinata blinked and found herself complying, sliding the kitty headband unto Sasuke's head. She quickly stepped back at the thunderous look on her classmate's face. "So-sorry, Sasuke-san!"

"Naruto, come back here!" Sasuke growled as the blond made a quick getaway, dashing away before the Uchiha boy could grab him. **"Naruto!"**

"What, and risk dying? No way, Sasuke-bastard, I'm too young to die!" Naruto shouted back, already halfway down the hallway. He flashed a victory sign. "Heheh, Sasuke, you look funny! I'll see you later! Bye, Hina-chan!"

"Take care, Naruto-kun!" Hinata waved in response, smiling. Suddenly, Uchiha's hand went down heavily on her head and the girl eeped, whirling away from reach. "Saa-Sasuke-san?"

Sasuke's lips tilted upwards in a slight smile. "It doesn't seem fair that I'm the only one."

_Only one – oh._ Hinata patted her head and discovered cat's ears, sitting innocently on her head. Apparently, Sasuke put it there in retaliation for what she had done to him earlier. Uncertain, the girl pushed her fingers together, looking down at her feet. "Gomen, Sasuke-kun. It's just that Naruto-kun…"

"Nevermind." Sasuke sighed and adjusted the headband. "It's fine, so don't worry about it."

"Thank you, Sasuke-san!" Hinata smiled shyly at him, cheeks tinted adorably pink. "I've been so much trouble to you that – _Sasuke-san!_ Your nose, it's bleeding!"

Sasuke blinked and put his head on his nose. Sure enough, it was bleeding. _What the – _

"Oh no! Do want me to call the nurse? Do you need to sit down or –"

"Calm down, Hyuuga. I'm fine."

""But – "

"Like I said, I'm fine." Sasuke turned his head away, flushing. _Stupid hormones._

"B-but Sasuke-san… are you sure?"

"I'm fine, Hyuuga. Go back to work."

"I-if you say so, Sasuke-san."

-

At the end of the day, they found out that their class won, having been voted by the majority of the school population, as well as those who visited their school. Sasuke couldn't care less. All he cared about was getting those stupid cat ears off his head.

* * *

Coffee Prince is yes, taken from the Korean drama from the same name. And reviews are, as always, fuel.


	3. Competition Smile

**Disclaimer:** The author does not own the animation series Naruto, and is merely borrowing for use in entertainment.

* * *

**Chapter III: **Competition Smile

_I'm high and I'm hopeless  
So help me to get untied  
Fast asleep now I'm going blind  
Falling down in my mind, down in my mind  
(Competition Smile, Gin Blossoms)_

* * *

Sasuke went to school early again. Much to his disgust, the number of girls in his fan club had swelled – all due to the fact that he wore those stupid cat ears. He grumbled under his breath as he stepped inside his classroom. All this trouble, just so that he could get to his school in peace.

"Oh. Good morning, Uchiha-san."

"It's Sasuke," he replied shortly, not even looking at Hinata's direction as he put his schoolbag away and sat down. "Here again early?"

"Ah – early morning duties. And, um, habit." He felt rather than saw the girl settle down on her own seat, skirts rustling as she did so. "The school is so peaceful in the mornings, so…"

Finally he looked up, propping his chin on his fist. "You didn't go to the nighttime festival," he remarked idly. "Sakura was looking for you."

"I had to go home. Chichi-ue didn't give me permission to stay at the school so late," the girl explained, looking out of the window. "There's training, as well."

Sasuke frowned. "Don't tell me you went straight home just to train, Hyuuga?"

"Um. Yes?" Hinata answered hesitantly, blinking owlishly at Sasuke as he stood up, skirted his desk, and stood next to where she sat, looking down at her with a most peculiar expression on his face. "Sasuke-san…?"

Then, without any warning, Sasuke bopped her lightly on her head.

"U-uwah!"

"I-di-ot. What were you doing, going back home to train?" Sasuke scolded as the girl clutched at her head. "You should've gone home to rest, not overwork yourself, stupid!"

"B-but…"

Sudden laughter interrupted whatever rejoinder Sasuke was going to make, and the two turned to the doorway to see Naruto doubled over in laughter. Sasuke scowled. "I don't see what's funny, dead last."

"You –ahaha- mother," Naruto gasped in between laughter, wiping tears of mirth as he walked over. Their identical expressions of confusion set him off again, laughing uproariously.

Giving up on understanding the laughing idiot, Sasuke went back to his seat, scowling. Naruto had settled down on his seat as well, still chuckling. "Sasuke-bastard's a mother cat!"

Sasuke twitched. "Shut up, Naruto."

"Keh, it's true! You're the one fussing over Hi – "

"Naruto_, shut up!_" Sasuke growled, cheeks flushing darkly.

"Heheh, Sasuke, you're blushin**oow!**" Naruto clutched at his suddenly smarting head, teary-eyed as he looked behind him. "Wah, Sakura-chan, you're so mean!"

"And you're so noisy, Naruto!" Sakura shot back, vein pulsing on her forehead, her fist still clenched. "It's too early to be this noi...sy…" Her voice trailed off as realization dawned. Her green eyes narrowed. "Waitaminute! _You're early!"_

Naruto flashed a victory sign, smirking. "I win, Sakura-chyaan!"

"Wha – no!" Sakura moaned as she sat down heavily on a nearby chair. "Damnit."

Hinata blinked questioning eyes to the Uchiha (since Naruto was busy doing a weird victory dance around the room), silently asking him to explain. Sasuke tapped a finger idly on his desk. "Dead last made a bet with Sakura – if he goes to school earlier than Sakura, even just once, they'll eat lunches and go home together for a week. Not to mention, she'll be tutoring him on math. If he loses, he won't bother her for a week, and would also be doing after-school cleaning." He smirked suddenly. "I don't envy Sakura. Naruto's hell on math."

"I heard that, Sasuke-bastard!" Naruto shouted across the room, then suddenly grinned and resumed dancing. "But keh, I don't care! I'm too happy to care! I win! _I win! _Whooo-hooooooo!"

Sakura moaned in despair, while Sasuke merely sniffed in derision, turning away to look out of the window. After a while, he yawned and closed eyes, propping his chin against his fist.

"Sasuke-san…knows a lot about Naruto-kun, ne?" Hinata suddenly spoke, pushing up her glasses nervously. "You – Sasuke-san is good friends with Naruto-kun?"

"Friends with dead last?" Sasuke snorted, but didn't open his eyes. "It's not something I decided on, but yeah. Something like that.

"I'm glad." Hinata smiled. "Naruto-kun doesn't have...a lot of good friends."

The teen opened one eye to look at her, attention caught at the wistfulness of her tone. Hinata was watching Naruto dance around the room, her eyes hidden by the thick glasses that she wore, like a mask hiding her emotions.

-

Lunch came. Again, Sasuke was besieged with lunch offers – more so than the usual, due to what happened during the school festival. He escaped to the roof, bringing his own lunch with him.

The teen had just finished eating when raised voices caught his attention. Sasuke frowned when he looked down. It was Hinata, taking a step back from the two upper high school students – the same students that tried to take a picture of her yesterday.

Sasuke cursed under his breath, and looked around for something he could hurl down on the two jerks (His bento? His spork?) when quick movement caught his eye. He looked down just in time to see another upper high school student slap one of the offenders, long brown hair swaying with the force. The two students slunk away, chastened.

Sasuke blinked. A female student? _No_, he amended, eyes narrowing as he watched Hinata being hugged briefly by her savior. _Male, definitely male._ The same male he saw waiting for Hinata when she gave him the apron three days ago.

A twinge of an unknown feeling burned through him and the teen stamped it down, annoyed. Turning, Sasuke grabbed his now-empty bento and left.

-

"Oi, Sasuke-bastard, you look as though you just got whipped," Naruto greeted him as he strode back to the room. The blond grinned. "No, actually, you look like you lost a fight or something."

"Whatever. Shut up, Naruto."

Naruto frowned as he followed the brunette, sitting down and straddling Hinata's chair. "No, really, Sasuke – what happened?" he prodded, somewhat concerned. "You only look that way when you lose a tennis match – or any match, for one thing."

"Nothing's happened, Naruto." Sasuke sighed, and made an effort to change the subject. "So how did lunch go?"

Naruto instantly brightened and proceeded to give him a blow-by-blow account of his lunch with Sakura, leaving Sasuke free to examine his thoughts. He made appropriate sounds to indicate that he was listening, but the teen wasn't, not at all. He was busy trying to sort out the emotion that flickered through him when he saw Hinata being hugged by someone he didn't know.

_Emotions_, Sasuke finally decided,_ are annoying._

-

Homeroom came.

"Alright, settle down!" Sakura commanded from the front, rapping a knuckle against the teacher's desk. "Kakashi-sensei's given us this time to discuss about our prize for winning at our school festival yesterday."

"Tch, how troublesome." Nara Nakamaru mumbled, chin propped at his fist as he stared blearily at their class representative."What did they give us, a pack of ballpoint pens? Several notebooks? Bowling coupons?"

Sakura scowled, remembering their prize when they won last year (which was, sadly enough, the aforementioned bowling coupons.). "No, thankfully - not those. The prize for winning this year is an early school trip for our class, and," here she paused dramatically for added effect – "…and since we worked so hard this year, we get to _pick_ the location ourselves!"

Silence. And then - wild cheering.

Sasuke merely snorted, and tuned out the noise. It's not as if he cared, anyway.

-

Amidst the voting, rapid-fire discussion, and Naruto's whining, the teen heard a delicate snort – and glancing forward, discovered Hyuuga Hinata sleeping, slumped over her desk. Glossy black hair cascaded down over her shoulders and spilled over the table like silk. His mouth twitched – it's funny, he thinks, that just looking at her sleeping reminds him of a cat taking a nap in the sun.

And as suddenly as he thought of that, he scowled and brushed the thoughts away.

Tuning out the discussion was easy, but blocking the inane desire to look at a sleeping Hyuuga was harder than Sasuke thought.

What in the world was happening to him?

Still scowling, he decided to get o-dangos and takoyaki after tennis practice. Yeah, he's hungry, that's it. Or else his thoughts wouldn't keep slipping on cats and blissfully sleeping Hyuugas under the sun.

-

In the end, the class decided on Kyoto. Generally, the class was happy with their choice – if you excluded the vision of Naruto, sulking in one corner. The entire class had vetoed the energetic blond's suggestion of going to the Ramen Museum, and he had immediately sunk into gloom and doom.

"Oi, Naruto – c'mon!" Kiba hollered over at the door, duffel bag slung over one shoulder. "We still have soccer practice!"

The rest of the class dispersed quietly, each heading towards their own clubs, with some heading home. That is, except Hinata, who was still sleeping on her desk, unaware that homeroom had already ended. Sasuke sighed as he stood up. "Oi. Hyuuga."

Hinata merely mumbled, and turned her face away, rubbing her face on her arms as she did so. "G'way, Neji-jiji…"

Sasuke twitched. Neji-jiji, was it? Uncharacteristically irritated, the teen shoved a hand to his pocket. Coming out with a folded handkerchief, he lightly whapped it on the sleeping girl's head, jerking her awake and tousling black locks. The girl gave an eep when she saw him, flushing. He stared down at her, still holding the handkerchief. "…you're hard to wake up, Hyuuga."

Hinata's flush deepened, and she cast her eyes away. "Uhm...err… U-Uchiha-san…"

"A thank you would be nice," the teen suggested dryly as he tucked the handkerchief back to his pocket. "And its Sasuke, idiot."

"Oh! I'm sorry! A-and thank you, Sasuke-san," the girl stood up and bowed, flustered. When she straightened, it was only then that she noticed that the room was already empty. "Wha- homeroom's already finished?"

Sasuke sighed. "Idiot. Why do you think I woke you up?"

"Oh."

Hefting his duffel bag over one shoulder, Sasuke frowned. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go home."

The girl blinked, and then snatched her bag hastily. "Oh! Ri-right!" As suddenly as she had moved, her face paled in horror, and she started to shove various notebooks into her bag. "Oh no, I'm late for my club, and I still have to continue teaching the new ones the tea ceremony!"

And with that, the girl shoved her bag shut, hastily sketched a bow to him and hurriedly left the room.

Shaking his head, Sasuke was about to leave when he noticed a notebook lying forlornly on the ground. The teen sighed. With his luck, it could only be Hyuuga's – and when he riffled it open, it was. Resigned, the teen shoved the notebook into his bag and left the room.

-

Sasuke strode through the hallway, still in his tennis uniform, Hinata's notebook on his hands. Judging from her haphazard comment earlier, the Hyuuga was part of the Tea & Calligraphy class – something, the teen remembered, Naruto had mentioned once before. He shoved an irritated hand through his hair. It was a good thing that his practice had ended early, for once – with their coach attending an emergency meeting, there wasn't much to do.

Stopping in front of the door, Sasuke frowned. There wouldn't be fangirls in this club, wouldn't it? He raised a fist to knock, and then stopped in mid-air, undecided. The Hyuuga had mentioned teaching tea ceremony to new members – would he be disturbing them if he knocked?

Heaving a disgusted sigh at his indecisiveness, the teen raised his hand again to knock, when the door slid open, revealing a surprised Hyuuga Hinata. Sasuke blinked in surprise, taking in the girl's clothes – she was clad in a kimono, luminous white flowers swimming in a sky of midnight blue, making a vivid contrast against her porcelain skin. Her hair was pulled up into a simple bun, revealing the delicate features of her face; her pale eyes devoid of glasses as she stared back to him.

"Uch-Uchiha-san?!" Hinata squeaked, hands flying up to her mouth. "H-how – w-why…?"

"You left your notebook." Sasuke answered simply, finally finding his voice. "And its Sasuke, you idiot."

-

How he came to be served tea and daifuku, Sasuke doesn't know. But here he was, sitting quite calmly on the tatami floor, partaking tea that the Hyuuga made. The teen took a bite and munched slowly; this would be the second time that he was fed by the girl. It wasn't that unpleasant, he decided, just a little disconcerting how the girl handled him so well when it came to food. At that thought, the teen frowned. An Uchiha shouldn't be handled so easily.

"U-Uchiha-san, is the mochi not to your liking?" Hinata's anxious voice broke through his musings, and the teen focused on the girl sitting before him. "I could replace it, if you'd like."

"What? No, this is fine – and how many times do I have to tell you, it's Sasuke." The teen replied shortly. "You keep forgetting."

"A-ah. I'm sorry."

Sasuke took a sip of the tea, studying the girl over the rim of his cup. The Hyuuga looked distracted; always, her eyes slid from him to the window, her lips turned downwards. "How did the ceremony go?"

The girl started, obviously not expecting him to speak, much less ask about the club's affairs. Her pale eyes once again slid from his unflinching stare. "I – I wasn't able to teach them today. They - they decided it's too hard, after all."

"Is that so?" Sasuke frowned; the fickleness of girls never ceases to amaze him. "But this club does have other members, right?"

"Oh – oh yes," Hinata hastened to reassure him, leaning slightly forward. "Temari-sempai and Ino-chan. Nara-san is part of this club as well, but he's practicing Go with Asuma-sensei today."

"Only the four of you?"

Hinata flushed as she nodded, looking away as her she unconsciously pushed her fingers together. "W-we're not a very popular club."

"I could see that," Sasuke remarked idly, and the girl flinched. "But then again, I don't think you'd like it if there were too many of you, Hyuuga."

Startled pale eyes flew back to his. "H-how did Sasuke-san know I…?"

"Just a guess," Sasuke shrugged. "Besides, I don't like too many people myself."

"O-oh."

The teen watched as Hinata put away the tea and the plate, and then stood when she finished. He handed the notebook to the girl. "Here."

"Thank you, Uchi- err, Sasuke-san." Hinata smiled shyly at him, clasping the book close. "I'm sorry for being such trouble."

Sasuke grunted, and walked towards the door, slipping his feet to his shoes as he did so. Sliding open the door, the teen raised his hand in farewell. "The tea was good, Hyuuga."

And with that, he left the room.


End file.
